Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
advocaat | a liqueur containing rum and raw eggs. |
aguardiente | a kind of Spanish or Portuguese brandy. [Sp. agua ardiente, burning water]. |
akvavit aquavit | a Scandinavian spirit made from potatoes or grain and flavoured with caraway seeds. |
alcohol | a liquid generated by the fermentation of sugar or other saccharine matter and forming the intoxicating element of fermented liquors. |
alcool | a form of pure grain spirit distilled in Quebec. |
alcopop | an alcoholic drink tasting like soft drink. |
ale | a beer fermented in an open vessel using yeasts that rise to the top of the brew; (formerly) an alcoholic drink made by fermenting a cereal, esp. barley, but differing from beer by being unflavoured by hops. |
alexander | a kind of cocktail, as in brandy alexander. |
alicant | a wine made near Alicante in Sapin. |
amabile | of wines etc., sweet. |
amaretto | a kind of liqueur flavoured with almonds > AMARETTOS. (AMARETTI also exists but it means macaroons flavoured with almonds). |
amarone | a strong dry red Italian wine > AMARONES. |
amontillado | a kind of sherry > AMONTILLADOS. |
amoroso | a dark sweet sherry > AMOROSOS. |
anisette | a cordial or liqueur flavored with anise seeds. |
aperitif | a drink taken as an appetiser. |
applecart applejack | apple brandy, distilled from fermented apple juice. |
appletini | a cocktail of vodka and apple juice. |
arak arrack | a spirit made from TODDY. |
armagnac | a dry brandy distilled in SW France. |
ava kava kavakava | an aromatic plant of the pepper family; a narcotic drink prepared from this. |
bacharach | a wine from Bacharach, on the Rhine. |
barolo | a red Italian wine > BAROLOS. |
beaujolais | a kind of wine > BEAUJOLAISES. |
beer | an alcoholic drink made from malted barley flavoured with hops. |
beerily | (adv.) BEERY, like beer. |
beeriness | the quality of being BEERY. |
beersies | (New Zealand slang) beer. |
beery | like beer > BEERIER, BEERIEST. |
beeswing | a crust found on old bottled port. |
beeswinged | so old as to show BEESWING, a crust found on old bottled port. |
bellini | a cocktail consisting of prosecco and peach purée. |
bevvy bevy | an alcoholic drink; a drinking session. |
bitter | a particularly foul-tasting variety of ALE; (verb) to make bitter. |
blackstrap | a drink made of a mixture of rum and treacle > BLACKSTRAPS. |
bock | a strong German wine. |
boilermaker | a drink of whiskey followed by a beer chaser. |
bombo | cheap wine > BOMBOS. |
bordeaux | a red or white wine from the Bordeaux region. Not to be confused with Bordeaux mixture, a mixture of lime and copper sulphate, used to kill insect pests on plants, which tastes slightly better. |
bourbon | a kind of WHISKY. |
brandy | a strong spirit distilled from wine, or from fermented fruit-juice; (verb) to mix or treat with brandy. |
brewage | malt liquor; drink brewed. |
brewski | beer > BREWSKIS or BREWSKIES. |
brut | of wines, unsweetened, dry. |
bub | a strong drink. |
bubbly | champagne; (adj.) containing bubbles > BUBBLIER, BUBBLIEST. |
bucellas | a white wine from Bucellas near Lisbon > BUCELLASES. |
bullshot | a drink made of vodka and BOUILLON. |
bumbo | a mixture of rum or gin, water, sugar and nutmeg > BUMBOS. |
bummock | a brewing of ale for a feast. |
burgundy | a French wine; its purply-red colour. |
busera | a Ugandan alcoholic drink made from millet > BUSERAS. |
cabernet | a dry red wine. |
cachaca | a white Brazilian rum made from sugarcane. |
calabogus | a Canadian drink of rum, spruce beer and molasses > CALABOGUSES. |
calimocho | a cocktail popular in Spanish-speaking countries, consisting of a mixture of cola and red wine. |
calvados | a French apple brandy > CALVADOSES. |
cassis | a blackcurrant liqueur > CASSISES. |
catawba | a light red variety of American grape; a rd wine made from it. [From the Catawba, a river in the Carolinas, USA]. |
cava | a sparkling wine > CAVAS. |
cepage | a kind of wine > CAVAS. |
cerveza | beer > CERVEZAS. |
chablis | a white wine made near Chablis, a town in France. |
chambre | of wine, at room temperature (the e has an accent). |
champagne | a posh fizzy wine, with very expensive bubbles. |
champers CHAMPAS | champagne. |
chaptalise chaptalize | to add extra sugar to wine during its fermentation to increase its alcohol content. |
chardonnay | a type of grape, orig. from the Burgundy region of France. |
charneco | a kind of sweet wine > CHARNECOS. |
chartreuse | an aromatic, usually yellow or green liqueur. [From La Grande Chartreuse, the name of the Carthusian monastery near Chartreuse in Grenoble where this liqueur was made]. |
chianti | a dry red Italian wine > CHIANTIS. |
chicha | a S. American liquor fermented from maize or cane sugar. |
cider cyder | an alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of apples. |
ciderkin | a kind of weak cider made by steeping the refuse pomace in water. |
cidery | like cider > CIDERIER, CIDERIEST. |
claret | a red wine, esp. one from the Bordeaux district of France; (verb) to drink claret > CLARETED, CLARETING. |
classico | of wine, made from grapes grown in a certain part of Italy. |
cocktail | a beverage made of brandy, whisky, or gin, iced, flavored, and sweetened; (verb) to dock a horse's tail. |
cognac | a kind of brandy. |
cointreau | a colourless liqueur with orange flavouring > COINTREAUS. |
coldie | a cold can or bottle of beer > COLDIES. |
collins | a type of COCKTAIL, as in vodka collins > COLLINSES. |
cornbrandy | spirits made from grain; whisky. |
cratur craythur | (coll.) whiskey. |
cremant | of wine, moderately sparkling. |
cru | (the grade or quality of wine produced in) a French vineyard or wine-producing region > CRUS. |
curacao curacoa | a kind of liqueur. [From an island in the W. Indies where it was first made]. |
cuvee | a vat of blended wine of uniform quality. |
daiquiri daquiri | a cocktail containing rum and lime-juice. [From Daiquiri, a rum-producing district in Cuba]. |
dop | a kind of brandy; (verb, obs.) to dip > DOPPED, DOPPING. |
doux | of champagne, very sweet. |
dram | a small amount of alcoholic drink; (verb) to drink a dram. |
drappie drappy | a little drop, esp. of spirits. |
dunder | the lees or dregs of cane juice, used in the distillation of rum. |
eggnog | a hot or cold alcoholic drink with added egg and usu. milk. |
eisel eisell esile | a kind of sour wine, that resembles vinegar even more than other wines. |
eiswein | a sweet German wine made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. | emptings emptins | the yeasty lees of beer or cider. |
enzian | a type of SCHNAPPS flavoured with gentian roots, drunk in the Tyrol. |
espumoso | a sparkling wine > ESPUMOSOS. |
feni | an alcoholic spirit produced in Goa from coconuts or cashew nuts > FENIS. Also FENNY. |
fenny | an alcoholic spirit produced in Goa from coconuts or cashew nuts. Also FENI. (Adj.) like a fen > FENNIER, FENNIEST. |
fining | a clarifying agent, esp. in wine-making. |
fino | a type of light-coloured dry sherry; a glass or drink of such sherry > FINOS. |
firewater | strong alcoholic spirits. |
flor | a yeasty growth which is allowed to form on the surface of sherry wines and which gives them a nutty taste. |
framboise | (Fr.) a brandy distilled from raspberries in the Alsace-Lorraine region. |
frascati | a type of white wine > FRASCATIS. |
frizzante | of wine, sparkling. |
fusel | a nauseous mixture of alcohols in spirits distilled from potatoes, grain etc. [Not sure whether people in fact actually drink this, but nothing would surprise me]. |
gallise gallisise gallisize gallize | in wine-making, to bring to standard proportions by adding water and sugar to an inferior must. |
gamay | a variety of red grape; a dry red wine made from this. [From a French village]. |
geneva | a spirit distilled from gin. |
genevrette | a wine made from wild fruits flavoured with juniper berries. |
geropiga jerepigo | a port substitute, consisting mainly of grape juice and brandy. [Port. jeropiga]. |
gewurztraminer | a variety of Traminer grape grown esp. in the Rhine valley, Alsace, and Austria; the mildly spicy white wine made from this grape. |
gibson | a MARTINI garnished with a cocktail onion. |
gin | an alcoholic drink obtained by distillation and rectification of the grain of malted barley, rye, or maize, flavoured with juniper berries; (verb) to trap or snare. |
ginny | flavoured with gin > GINNIER, GINNIEST. |
glogg | a hot spiced drink > wine, brandy, and sherry, with raisins, almonds and orange peel. |
gluhwein | a hot sweetened spiced red wine, as prepared in Germany. |
grappa | a kind of grape spirit. [Ital. 'grape stalk']. |
grasshopper | a cocktail made with creme de menthe,creme de cacao, and light cream. |
grenadine | a pomegranate syrup, or similar, used in certain drinks. |
grog | diluted spirit, usually rum, as an alcoholic drink; (verb) to extract the spirit from the wood of casks by soaking it in hot water. |
gutrot rotgut | rough, cheap alcohol. |
happoshu | a Japanese drink similar to beer. |
heeltap | a small amount of liquor left in the glass after drinking. |
highball | whisky and soda with ice in a tall glass; (verb) to go at full speed. |
hippocras | a kind of medieval hot spiced wine > HIPPOCRASES. |
hock | a white Rhine wine; (verb) to pawn. |
hogan hogen | strong liquor. |
hokonui | illicit whisky > HOKONUIS. |
homebrew | home-made beer. |
hoppiness | the state of being hoppy, tasting of hops. |
hoppy | tasting of hops. |
hooch hootch | whisky or any strong liquor, esp. if illicitly acquired. |
icewine | a dessert wine made from grapes frozen before harvesting. |
jerepigo | see GEROPIGA. |
julep | a cocktail of bourbon, sugar, and mint. [Persian gulab, rosewater]. |
kava kavakava | see AVA. |
kir | a wine and blackcurrant drink. [From Kir, the Frenchman said to have invented it]. |
kirsch kirschwasser | an alcoholic spirit distilled, chiefly in Germany and Switzerland, from the fermented juice of cherries. |
koumis koumiss koumys koumyss kumiss kumys kumis | an intoxicating fermented or distilled liquor originally made by the Tartars from mare's or camel's milk. |
kummel | a cumin-flavoured liqueur. |
kvas kvass quass | an alcoholic drink of low strength (actually given to children) made in Russia and E. Europe from cereals and stale bread > KVASES, KVASSES, QUASSES. |
lager | a light beer traditionally matured for six months before use; (verb) to laager i.e. form a circle of wagons. |
lambrusco | an Italian sparkling wine > LAMBRUSCOS. |
lees | the sediment that settles at the bottom of a liquid, esp. a fermented liquid such as wine; dregs. |
logjuice | bad port wine, as if coloured with logwood. |
madeira | a white wine. |
maderise maderize | of white wine, to become rusty in colour and flat in taste as a result of absorbing too much oxygen during maturation. |
malmsey | a strong sweet wine. Also MALVESIE, MALVOISIE. |
malted | a malted whisky. |
malvasia | a type of grape from which MALMSEY is made. |
malvasian | relating to a type of grape used to make malmsey. |
malvesie malvoisie | see MALMSEY. |
malwa | a Ugandan drink brewed from millet > MALWAS. |
mampoer | home-made distilled brandy made from peaches, prickly pear etc. |
manhattan | a kind of cocktail. |
manzanilla | a very dry, light sherry. |
maraschino | a sweet liqueur distilled from maraschino cherries > MARASCHINOS. |
marc | grapeskins and other refuse from wine-making. |
margarita marguerita | a cocktail of tequila, lime and lemon-juice. |
marsala | a kind of wine exported from Marsala in Sicily. |
martini | a type of vermouth. Also, a cocktail consisting of gin and dry vermouth, sometimes with the addition of orange bitters. |
mauby | a frothy beverage made from boiled tree-bark > MAUBIES. Also MOBBY, MOBBIE. |
max | gin, the drink. |
mead meath meathe meth | alcoholic liquor produced by fermenting a mixture of honey and water. |
merlot | a light-bodied red wine. |
mescal mezcal | a distilled liquor prepared in Mexico from a species of agave. |
metheglin | a spiced or medicated variety of mead, originally peculiar to Wales. [Welsh meddyglyn, from meddyg, medicina + llyn, liquor]. |
mild | mild ALE. |
mirin | a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking. |
mobbie mobby | a frothy beverage made from boiled tree-bark. |
mocktail | a cocktail without alcohol. |
moonshine | illegally distilled or smuggled whisky or other spirit. |
mojito | a traditional Cuban cocktail > CAVAS. |
moscato | a sweet dessert wine. |
moselle | a German white wine from the Moselle valley. |
mousseux | a sparkling wine. |
mulse | boiled wine with honey. |
muscadel muscatel muscadelle | a rich spicy wine derived from muscat grapes. |
muscadet | a dry white wine. |
muscat | a sweet white grape used for raisins and muscatel wine; muscatel wine itself. |
negroni | an alcoholic beverage > NEGRONIS. |
negus | a drink of wine, hot water and spices. [From Col. Francis Negus (d. 1732), its creator} > NEGUSES. |
nerver | something which gives one courage, especially a strong drink. |
nog | an egg and alcohol drink; also, a wooden peg; (verb) to fix with nogs. |
nogg | an egg and alcohol drink. |
noily | a dry white vermouth. |
nonvintage | a wine that is not vintage. |
noyau | a liqueur made from brandy flavoured with bitter almonds or peach-stones > NOYAUS or NOYAUX. |
oaked | relating to wine that is stored for a time in oak barrels before bottling. |
oenomel oinomel | a beverage of ancient Greece consisting of wine and honey. [Gk. oinos, wine, + meli, honey]. |
oloroso | a golden-coloured medium-sweet sherry. [Sp. oloroso, fragrant]. |
ordinaire | vin ordinaire, table wine. |
ouzo | an aniseed-flavored Greek liqueur. |
overproof | stronger than proof spirit; that is, containing more than 49.3 per cent by weight of alcohol. |
palinka | a type of apricot brandy from E. Europe. |
pastis | a French aniseed-flavoured aperitif > PASTISES. |
pernod | an aniseed-flavoured aperitif from France. |
perry | a cider-like drink made from pears. |
persico persicot | a cordial made of the kernels of apricots, nectarines, etc., with refined spirit. |
petillant | sparkling, used of wine. |
pilsener pilsner | a light-coloured flavoursome variety of lager. |
piment | a spiced sweetened wine. |
pinot | a variety of grape; a wine made from this. |
pisco | a Peruvian brandy > PISCOS. |
plonk | inferior quality wine; (verb) to put down abruptly. |
plottie | a spiced hot drink, such as mulled wine. Also PLOTTY. |
plotty | a spiced hot drink, such as mulled wine. Also PLOTTIE. 2. (adj.) full of intrigue, as a novel > PLOTTIER, PLOTTIEST. |
poitin | see POTEEN. |
pombe | an African alcoholic drink. |
port | a sweet fortified dessert wine; (verb) to carry, convey. |
porter | a strong, dark-coloured, highly hopped beer; (verb) to work as a porter. |
porty | tasting like port > PORTIER, PORTIEST. |
poteen potheen potteen poitin | illicitly distilled Irish whisky. |
pregame | to drink alcohol before a game. |
prosecco | an Italian sparkling white wine > PROSECCOS. |
pulque | a Mexican fermented drink made from agave. [Amer. Sp., f. Nahuatl puliúhki decomposed.] |
quass | see KVAS. |
quetsch | a spirit distilled from the fermented juice of plums. [Ger. dialect Quetsch, wild plum]. |
rakee raki | a strong spirit distilled in Turkey, Yugoslavia, etc., from grain, usually flavoured with aniseed or other aromatics. |
rakia rakija | a kind of fruit brandy produced by distillation of fermented fruit, popular throughout the Balkans. |
ratafee ratafia | a flavouring essence made with the essential oil of almonds; a cordial or liqueur flavoured with fruit-kernels; an almond biscuit or cake. |
redeye | cheap whiskey; an overnight flight. |
regmaker | a drink taken to relieve the effects of a hangover. |
resinata | a Greek white wine. [L. resinata, resined]. |
retsina | a Greek alcoholic drink. |
rickey | an alcoholic beverage containing lime juice, gin and soda water. |
riesling | a type of grape grown esp. in Germany; a dry white table wine produced from this. |
rioja | a Spanish red wine. |
rosiner | a strong alcoholic drink. |
rotgut | see GUTROT. |
rubby | rubbing alcohol, esp when mixed with cheap red wine > RUBBIES. |
rum | spirit made from sugar cane, either coloured brownish-red by the addition of caramel or by maturation in oak containers, or left white; (adj.) strange, queer > RUMMER, RUMMEST. |
rumbo | grog > RUMBOS. |
rumbullion | an older name for rum. |
rumfustian | a hot alcoholic drink made from rum and various spices. |
sack | dry white wine or sherry from Spain. |
sake saki | a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice. |
samshoo samshu | a spirituous liquor distilled by the Chinese from the yeasty liquor in which boiled rice has fermented under pressure. |
sangaree | a summer drink consisting of lemon juice, claret, sugar, ice; any sweetened wine drink. |
sangria | a Spanish wine punch. |
sauterne | a white wine made in the district of Sauterne, France. |
sazerac | a cocktail based on Pernod and whisky. |
schiedam | holland gin made at Schiedam in the Netherlands. |
schnapps schnaps shnaps shnapps | a kind of brandy. |
screwdriver | a kind of cocktail. |
scrumpy | a kind of rough cider. |
scuppernong | a native American grape from the region of the Scuppernong river; a sweet wine made from it. |
seco | (of wine) dry. |
sekt | a sparkling wine. |
shandy | a mixture of beer or ginger beer and lemonade. |
shandygaff | a mixture of strong beer and ginger beer. |
sherris | sherry. |
sherry | a fortified wine, originally from the Jerez region in S. Spain, usually drunk as an aperitif. |
shicker shikker | (Aust. sl.) strong liquor; a drunk. |
shochu | a Japanese liquor. |
shypoo | liquor of poor quality > SHYPOOS. |
simkin simpkin | an Urdu corruption of champagne. |
skeechan | a kind of beer made by mixing malt liquor with treacle. [Gaelic caochan, fermented liquor]. |
skokiaan | a strong home-brewed alcoholic liquor fermented with yeast. [From Zulu via Afrikaans]. |
slivovic slivovica slivovitz slivowitz | a dry plum brandy > SLIVOVICES, SLIVOVICAS, SLIVOVITZES, SLIVOWITZES. |
snifter | a small alcoholic drink; (verb) to sniff, snivel. |
soave | an Italian white wine. |
soju | a Korean spirit distilled from rice or sweet potato. |
solera | a system of sherry production involving the blending of wines from different casks; the casks used in this process. |
spatlese | a sweet white wine made from grapes harvested after the main vintage > SPATLESES or SPATLESEN. |
spritzer | a drink of (white) wine and soda water. |
spritzig | sparkling (of wine); (noun) a usu. sparkling white wine. |
spumante | a sparkling white wine. |
stalky | retaining a tannic, unripe taste from excessive contact with the grape-stalks during production > STALKIER, STALKIEST. |
stemmy | of wine, having a bitter taste due to being fermented in contact with grape stems. |
stengah | a drink of whisky and soda. [Malay sa-tengah, one half]. |
stingo | a strong Yorkshire beer > STINGOS. |
stout | a strong dark beer brewed with roasted malt or barley. |
stum | must, unfermented grape-juice; (verb) to doctor with stum. |
sundowner | an alcoholic drink taken at sunset; (Aus. sl.) a loafer or tramp who arrives at a place in time for an evening meal but too late to do any work. |
swally | (Scots) an alcoholic drink. |
swipes | beer, esp. when poor or weak. |
switchel | a drink made of molasses and water, sometimes flavoured with vinegar, ginger, or rum. |
sylvaner | a German grape used in making white wine; the wine itself. |
syrah | a red wine grape; wine made from this. [From the ancient Persian City of Shiraz, where the grape is supposed to have originated]. |
taffia tafia | a liquor resembling rum distilled from the lower grades of molasses, refuse brown sugar, etc. |
tanglefoot | whisky, intoxicating liquor. |
taplash | bad small beer; also, the refuse or dregs of liquor. |
tartar | a reddish, acid potassium bitartrate found in grape juice and deposited on the sides of wine casks. |
tartarous | consisting of, containing or resembling TARTAR. |
tawney tawny | a port of a rich orange-brown colour. |
tequila tequilla | a Mexican alcoholic drink made from the agave plant. |
tipper | a kind of ale (from Thomas Tipper, who brewed it in Sussex). |
tipple | an alcoholic drink; (verb) to drink alcohol. |
toddy | a drink made from spirits; also, the fermented sap of various palm trees, or a liquor made from this. [Hindi tari]. |
toothful | a small esp. alcoholic drink. |
trocken | of wine, dry. |
underproof | containing less alcohol than proof spirit. |
unoaked | of wine, not fermented in an oak cask. |
usquabae usque usquebae usquebaugh | whiskey. |
valpolicella | a red or rosé wine made in the Val Policella district. |
verdelho | (a white Madeira made from) a white grape orig. growing in Madeira. |
vermouth vermuth | a drink with a white wine base, flavoured with wormwood and other herbs. |
vin | wine. |
vino | (Sl.) wine > VINOS. |
voddy vodka | an alcoholic drink originating in Russia, made from grain, potatoes etc. |
vouvray | a French white wine. |
waragi | a Ugandan alcoholic drink made from bananas > WARAGIS. |
whiskey whisky | a spirit made by distilling fermented cereals, which is matured and often blended. |
wine | an alcoholic drink produced by the fermentation of grapes with water and sugar. |
winey winy | like or tasting of wine > WINIER, WINIEST. |
winish | winy. |
witblits | a strong home-distilled alcoholic spirit. [Afr. wit, white + blits, lightning]. |
yaqona | another name for KAVA. |
yill | ale. |
zin | ZINFANDEL, a red wine. |
zinfandel | a black wine-grape of California; the wine produced from this. |
zombie | a drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur and fruit-juice. |
zythum | a kind of beer made by the ancient Egyptians, highly commended by Diodorus Siculus. [Gk. zythos]. |